Wednesday, April 13, 2016

Prevalence and Correlates of HIV Testing among Young People Enrolled in Non-Formal Education Centers in Urban Chiang Mai, Thailand

Background

HIV
testing is the gateway to HIV prevention, treatment, and care. Despite the
established vulnerability of young Thai people to HIV infection, studies
examining the prevalence and correlates of HIV testing among the general
population of Thai youth are still very limited. This study investigates
socio-demographic, behavioral, and psychosocial factors associated with HIV
testing among young Thai people enrolled in Non-formal Education Centers (NFEC)
in urban Chiang Mai, Northern Thailand.

Methods

This
was a cross-sectional quantitative study conducted among young unmarried Thai
youth—between the ages of 15 and 24—who were enrolled in NFEC in urban Chiang
Mai. Multiple logistic regressions were used to identify correlates of “ever
tested for HIV” among the sexually active participants.

Findings

Of
the 295 sexually active participants, 27.3% reported “ever tested for HIV;”
65.4% “did not consistently use condom;” and 61.7% “had at least 2 lifetime
partners.” We found that “self-efficacy” (AOR, 4.92; CI, 1.22–19.73); “perception
that it is easy to find a location nearby to test for HIV” (AOR, 4.67; CI,
1.21–18.06); “having at least 2 lifetime sexual partners” (AOR, 2.05; CI,
1.09–3.85); and “ever been pregnant or made someone pregnant” (AOR, 4.06; CI,
2.69–9.15); were associated with increased odds of having ever been tested. On
the other hand, “fear of HIV test results” (AOR, 0.21; CI, 0.08–0.57) was
associated with lower odds of ever having been tested for HIV.

Conclusion

The main finding is that a substantially high proportion
of Thai youth is engaged in risky sexual behaviors—yet reports low rates of
ever having been tested for HIV. This highlights an urgent need to develop
appropriate interventions—based on the identified correlates of HIV testing.
There is also an urgent need to enhance HIV testing and to promote safer sexual
behaviors among young Thai people—particularly those who are out-of-school.